Bottle of Wine Braised Brisket - The Defined Dish - Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you know when braised brisket is done? ›

You could pull it at 190°F, but some say that as high as 200°F is the tender, moist sweet spot for braised brisket! Check with your thermometer, yes, but also just look at the meat. You want tender tender tender, but (especially if you're using the first cut) you also want to be sure the meat doesn't dry out.

Slow cooking beef brisket in a rich, savory red wine bath for several hours transforms the tough, fatty cut of beef into something so tender and juicy you hardly need a knife to cut it. This red wine braised brisket recipe is a variation of the recipe my husband and I usually make for my family at Passover.

Regardless, brisket is a cut that benefits from a low and slow cooking style. Braising and smoking are the most common. They're both effective ways to add great flavor to the meat as well as make it mouthwateringly tender. You can also steam beef brisket.

To achieve tender and juicy brisket in a reasonable amount of time (about 4 hours), the key is to hold the meat between 180 and 200 degrees. In this optimal temperature zone, collagen breaks down at a rapid pace, but the meat stays well below the boiling point of water (212 degrees), helping minimize moisture loss.

Keeping a water pan in the smoker is the best way to retain moisture. After the first 2-3 hours start spritzing your brisket with water, apple juice, hot sauce or apple cider vinegar every 30 minutes to an hour. This helps keep it moist and stops it from burning.

Contrary to some sources, you do not need to flip your brisket at any point during cooking. Flipping can disrupt the smoking process, as you are repeatedly lowering the temperature every time you open the grill, extending your brisket cook time.

“You can overcook a braise,” she says, even if there is more wiggle room for when it's done.

Brisket contains a lot of connective tissue, which can make it tough. The type of connective tissue in brisket is called collagen. Cook the meat quickly and you get tough, dry meat. Cook a brisket slowly, with some liquid, and the collagen turns into gelatin.

Rich, dark liquors like bourbon and whiskey go well with the smokiness of BBQ dishes like brisket and pulled pork. If you don't want to drink it straight, we recommend mixing up a bourbon lemonade – the slightly tart taste of lemons cuts the smokiness of both the bourbon and BBQ.

What goes great with brisket? ›

To season your brisket for smoking and for Brisket Burnt Ends, simply rub generously with kosher salt, black pepper, and optional garlic powder. Place the seasoned brisket into the fridge and allow it to dry brine overnight. Now, it's time to cook!

When buying brisket at the grocery store, it is typically labeled as "beef brisket." It's a specific cut of meat that comes from the lower chest area of a cow. You might also find variations like "whole brisket", "brisket flat cut", and "brisket point," which refer to different parts of the brisket.

As soon as it's fork-tender, it's done. Cooking any longer will dry out the meat. With braising, just a little effort yields amazing results.

For chunky braises like beef stew or short ribs, take the pot out of the oven as soon as the meat breaks apart easily along the larger seams. For shredded braises like ropa vieja or barbacoa, cook the meat until it shreds into individual fibers. If the meat is still tough, let it cook longer.

The brisket is done when the internal temperature is between 190 and 200 degrees. It should not go above 205 degrees. You can also tell the brisket is cooked when it's fork tender. You can easily shred it between 2 forks.